Best Pens For Under $30

[Snowie]

Is there a difference between the al-star and safari, other than price and body material?

[P.A.R.]

The Noodler's Ahab (available in more than 20 colors) is a good large, comfortable size with a sturdy clip, fast pull piston filler, and a fun to use semi flex nib. Perhaps my grail pen - I have 4 now. $20 apiece.

 

You have the option of buying Knox K35 nibs from xfountainpens for another $9 or so to use in the Ahab. These come in sizes EF F M B OB and OBB, all of which are quite smooth and a joy to use. They have no flex like the stock Ahab nib, but they're awesome for general writing.

[reval]

I second the nominations for the Ahab and the Konrad (in the enthusiast category) and the Jinhao 159 (in the smooth writer category)

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I am a big fan of the Aurora Idea as a pen under $30. The Pelikano is also quite good.

 

Dillon

[ronw]

Another vote for Lamy Safari. Amazon has them for $22. When someone I know shows an interest in fountain pens, I buy them a Safari and send them on their way; they are generally very happy with them. I have some for my own use - EF, 1.5 and 1.9 calligraphy. Occasionally, one will be a bit of a dry starter (fast fix: new nib for $12), but overall, a great pen.

[requiescat]

For those for whom the Lamy Safari doesn't work out (alas! they look like great pens), I add my vote for the Nemosine Singularity. I've been using my demonstrators as eyedroppers with silicone grease, both F and XF nibs, and they have been absolutely trouble-free. There are smoother out-of-the-box nibs, but mine are good enough that I haven't bothered smoothing them further.

[Bearcat]

I see that you are in Ann Arbor. If you are ever in Mt. Pleasant, send me a PM and we could meet up and you can try a number of under $30 pens from my collection, including most of those mentioned above....and several others that are pretty sweet but lesser known...

[Bearcat]

Oh, BTW....MI pen show is in Troy this weekend (Friday evening and Saturday) and you could see and likely test dozens of pens in this category as well as many of the "higher priced" models....

[Bearcat]

Is there a difference between the al-star and safari, other than price and body material?

 

Size is a bit larger...Nibs are the same.

[Snowie]

Oh, BTW....MI pen show is in Troy this weekend (Friday evening and Saturday) and you could see and likely test dozens of pens in this category as well as many of the "higher priced" models....

 

 

Thanks for letting me know. I'll see if we'll be able to make it.

[EP Tech]

I tip my hat and second the motion for the Nemosine Singularity...I have two! Simply put a great pen for under $20.00 with shipping. I believe they use either a Schmidt or JoWo nib,very smooth. You may also want to look at the Picasso line. I bought a Picasso 608, a lovely writer and one of the smoothest OOTB pens I own. It has a metal barrel and cap in lacquer finish, not all that heavy but satisfying in the hand.

[JGSalty]

Noodler's and Esterbrook J.

 

I have a Noodler's Konrad and it is a smooth writer and fun to boot.

 

Esterbrooks are fun, smooth and have several nib options to suit all needs.

[tomgartin]

I like the Pilot 78G, but it may need flow adjustment. On mine I had to use a razor from my shaving kit to open up the tines because it was too dry from the factory--almost unusable. After less than a minute of using the razor, working it around to bend the tines open, the pen was perfect. The pen itself is a good size, comfortable enough, and very smooth. A plus for me is that it looks how you expect a pen to look. I wish I'd got this pen as my first instead of the Safari.

[nxn96]

If you're willing to go used/vintage, you can often do pretty well finding a nice Sheaffer or Parker on eBay in the $30 range. In addition to the already mentioned Parker 45, a user grade Parker 51, 51 Special or 21 comes up on eBay for about that money every so often. Likewise, you often see Sheaffer Imperials from the 1960's-70's on eBay for pretty fair prices.

 

One of the reasons I like the aforementioned Parkers & Sheaffers is that they are so well built that ones bought used can often be put in working condition after a good cleaning/flushing.

 

Hope this helps.

[ajha1970]

I've seen quite a few pens for under $30 and I believe Jet pens just did a giveaway for a set of some of their customer favorites but I was wondering what ya'll recommend. I love my Ohto Dude, Platinum Preppy and Plaisir. I was underwhelmed by the Pilot Vpen. Anything else out there I should try? Because I of course need more pens.

LAMY SAFARI, AL STAR, VISTA Along with few Indian Brands Rangapens, gliders

[Sagar_C]

What about an older version of sheaffer nononsense which is cheaper than cheap? I shall buy one with fine italic nib any day.

[derevaun]

I currently have too many <$30 pens inked, so I have to occasional exercise them for the sake of exercising them. The biggest, most-pleasant surprise during this generally pleasant ritual is the Pilot Petit1: it just never skips a beat, starts right up, writes beautifully. I sometimes hesitate to write with it, because it's so small even when posted. And I like a little finer line than it writes. But it's reliable and smooth.

[de_pen_dent]

I have to admit, after trying out a bunch of the Chinese pens, I dont see why the Lamy Safari even begins to enter the picture as far as "good entry-level pens" go, other than possibly due to longevity and ease of nib replacement (ok, admittedly, those arent a negligible factors).

 

I inked up 2 pens for the first time yesterday - a Dupont Defi and a Jinhao 159. Based on just the writing experience, I cannot pick which is the better pen.

[robofkent]

Waterman Kultur

Jinhao 159

[auto winder]

Lamy Safari and Kaweco Sport.